MSFP: undergraduate ‘collaborate-from-home’ research in macromolecular structure and function

Abstract

When the COVID-19 crisis shut down most undergraduate research opportunities, the Macromolecular Structure and Function Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program provided a mentored research experience on the topic of Macromolecular Structure and Function and training in professional skills to assist the participants in pursuing a degree and a future career in STEM. The fully online, remote, computer-based program was funded by the USA National Science Foundation. It involved faculty at four geographically-distributed institutions specializing in diverse but complementary approaches to study macromolecular structure and function. Importantly, its online “collaborate-from-home” format made it accessible to students during the pandemic to participate fully in the research, professional development, and other activities of the program. This project can also serve as an example for future remote, online projects that would especially be helpful for students who don’t have access to similar programs at their universities, cannot travel to attend a summer program, have physical challenges that make it difficult for them to work in a lab, or students whose research opportunities are limited due to the war in Ukraine. The lessons learned with the Macromolecular Structure and Function REU program can provide helpful information for ISCB members to set up similar programs to serve additional students. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Advances online.